Lost in Twilight Town
by EliseArainai
Summary: On vacation in Twilight Town, Kairi gets separated from Sora. The only person she can turn to for help is constantly flirting with her! Will Kairi be able to find the boy she loves and reveal her true feelings? KairiXSora, cover by iMii-s of deviantArt
1. A Mysterious Boy

Kairi walked down the streets of Twilight Town in hopeless confusion. Sora had written to Donald and Goofy and he had asked them to fly the two of them to Twilight Town where they could spend at least some of their vacation alone. Unfortunately, shortly after they were dropped off, Kairi had gotten distracted by a Moogle who had tried to sell her something, and the two friends were separated.

Kairi remembered coming to Twilight Town once when she was trying to escape Axel. However, she hadn't gotten very far before getting caught, so she still had no clue how to get around this place. She breathed a huge sigh. She had planned to tell Sora her true feelings during vacation, but at this rate who knew when that would happen?

Kairi's thoughts were interrupted when someone came crashing right into her, knocking her to the ground. "Ow! What the…?" she muttered, rubbing her head.

"Sorry about that! Are you okay?" a voice asked. When Kairi looked up, a boy was holding a hand out to her. He had layered blond hair that framed his face and was pulled back into a short ponytail, and he had striking blue eyes. But the one thing Kairi noticed about him was his long, monkey-like tail. She had seen some strange things before, but this boy was pretty high-up.

Nevertheless, Kairi took the boy's hand and he helped her up to her feet. "Thanks, and I'm okay," she said before noticing that the boy was still staring at her. "Um, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"Oh, no. You see…" the boy answered before taking Kairi's hand once again. "I just thought maybe you were the one I'd been looking for all this time."

"Huh?" Kairi was a bit taken aback by this, but she decided to play along for a bit. "You were waiting for me?"

"Yeah! I've dreamt of meeting you here ever since I was born!" he answered with a nod. His eyes and his voice seemed so sincere, but Kairi was still a little unsure.

"You're not just teasing me or anything, are you?" she asked.

"No, of course not," the boy said with a short laugh.

Finally deciding that this was probably something he said to a lot of girls, Kairi decided to end this little game. "I'm very flattered, but I should go," she said, turning to leave.

"Just a sec!" the boy said as he stepped right back in front of her. "Haven't we met before?"

"No, I don't think so," Kairi answered, folding her arms in front of her chest. She kept an eye on the boy even as he began circling her, as if he was taking in everything about her.

Finally, he said, "Maybe you're right… I'd never let someone as pretty as you get away."

Kairi blushed. This guy thought she was pretty? She immediately shook the thought out of her head and thought about Sora once again, silently wishing that he was alright.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted when she heard someone shouting. A boy ran from around the corner, and glared in her direction. This one was wearing a long white coat with no sleeves and a black knit cap. He had a scar between his eyes. Kairi guessed that this was Seifer, someone Sora had encountered when he was in Twilight Town before, and at that moment, he did not look happy.

"I finally found you! You're gonna pay for that one!" Seifer shouted.

Kairi didn't understand. Why was he mad at her? Then she realized that he was actually glaring at the boy next to her.

"Oops, didn't like my present?" the boy asked with a smile.

Seifer then charged at the boy, who simply jumped up and over him, causing the enraged boy to stumble. He then grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her away. "Run!" he shouted back to her.

As they were running, Kairi shouted, "Okay, but what's he so mad about?"

The boy grinned. "Well, I guess not everyone appreciates oglops in their bedroom."

"What the heck is an oglop?" Kairi asked, but then decided she'd rather not know. "Never mind, forget I asked!"

"Probably best you don't know!" he called back. He then stopped, picked Kairi up, and then jumped up onto a nearby rooftop. Kairi's whole face turned red. Even Sora had never carried her like this! She was almost relieved when the boy set her back down.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," the boy instructed before he apparently jumped off the roof. Kairi looked over the edge, where she saw that the boy was hanging by his tail from one of the rafters. Seifer had caught up to them just a little too late.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna catch me!" the boy called teasingly.

Seifer just growled. "This isn't over. I'll get back at you somehow, chicken-wuss!" he yelled before running off.

The boy then swung back onto the roof. "Sheez, while you're at it, work on your insults a little," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He then walked over to Kairi and sat down next to her. "Having fun?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah I guess," she answered. "Seriously though, I am looking for someone, so…"

"Friend of yours?" the boy asked tilting his head.

"Yes, but I…" Kairi's voice trailed off as she thought of Sora. The two of them had been friends for so long, and Sora had saved her twice from danger. During that time, she had fallen for him, but she didn't have the guts to come out and say it.

The boy looked at her and sighed. "Oh boy, I know those eyes. The eyes of a girl in love."

Kairi blushed once again and whirled around to face the boy. "Huh? What are you talking about?!" she asked nervously.

The boy just smiled. "There's no point in hiding it. While I admit I'm a little disappointed that you're already taken, I'm still willing to help you look for him, if you don't mind."

Kairi's eyes lit up. "Really?! You'd do that?"

The boy just laughed. "Why not? You're cute and you need help. What else is there to think about? So whadaya say?"

Kairi thought about it for a minute. On one hand, this guy was flirting with her like crazy, but on the other hand, he knew Twilight Town a whole lot better than she did. She figured that the search could go a lot faster with someone to guide her.

"Okay, thank you," she finally answered. "But it would be nice to know the name of my guide."

"Oh yeah, we never did introduce ourselves," the boy said. "My name's Zidane. What's yours?"

"I'm Kairi," she said with a smile.


	2. A Moogle and a Rag Doll

**Ok, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my first chapter. Your opinions mean a lot to me, so please keep 'em coming! Thank you, that is all. Enjoy!**

After checking to make sure that Seifer wasn't lying in wait for him, Zidane helped Kairi down from the roof. "So, where do we start looking?" Kairi asked.

"Well, let's start at the beginning," Zidane suggested. "Do you remember the last place you saw him?"

Kairi tried to think of anything special about the place where she and Sora got separated. The only thing she could recall was the Moogle who distracted her. "Um, well I remember that there was a Moogle there, but other than that, I don't remember anything."

"That's a good start. There's only one Moogle in town, and that's Elmina," said Zidane. He then took Kairi's hand and starting walking. "C'mon, let's pay him a visit, shall we?"

Again, Kairi was startled at the boy's forwardness and she could feel her face heat up. "O-Okay, but is it really necessary to hold my hand?"

"You don't wanna get lost again, do you?" he asked, looking back at her with a sweet smile. "Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as you stick with me."

Seeing as she didn't really have any other choice, Kairi just nodded and followed Zidane's lead. After a few minutes, they found Elmina absentmindedly trying to balance himself on a skateboard. Zidane motioned for Kairi to be quiet before he took to the rooftops once again. She had to wonder what that guy was up to. She then saw him scaling the roof just above Elmina. Without warning, he leapt off and landed right in front of the Moogle, making him fall off the skateboard with a yelp.

With a short laugh, Zidane held out a hand to help Elmina up. "How's it goin'?" he asked casually.

"Oh, just fine until you scared me out of my wits, kupo!" Elmina shot back. It was hard to take him seriously with that high-pitched voice of his.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Zidane said with a grin. "Anyway, a lady friend of mine is looking for someone." He then looked in Kairi's direction and called her over.

"Hey, you're that girl from earlier," said Elmina. "Weren't you with a spiky-haired boy, kupo?"

"Yes, actually, that's who I'm looking for," Kairi answered. "Did you see where he went?"

The Moogle just shook his head. "Sorry, I can't help you there. Try looking in the town square, kupo. You might have more luck."

"Hey, thanks," Zidane said as he turned to leave. Kairi was about to follow him when Elmina grabbed her leg.

"I'd be careful around that guy, kupo. He's the biggest flirt in town, and he's a troublemaker. Try not to get too involved with him, kupo," he warned her with as serious an expression as he could manage.

"Um, I'll keep that in mind," Kairi said. She decided against telling Elmina that she had already seen those sides of Zidane in the past half-hour. Even so, he still didn't seem like a bad person.

"Hey! Are you coming?" Zidane called from further down the street.

"Just a second!" Kairi called back. She turned back to the Moogle and smiled. "Thank you very much."

"Good luck!" Elmina said cheerfully as Kairi walked away to join Zidane.

…

Sora chased the thief down an alley, where he was finally able to corner him. He shot off a Fire spell at the thief's feet, causing him to stumble. "Gotcha! Now give back my wallet!" Sora shouted as he grabbed the thief's shirt, preventing him from escaping.

"Okay fine, you win!" the thief exclaimed as he handed the wallet back to the angry teen. "Not much in there, anyway…"

Sora released his grip on the thief and checked his wallet to make sure everything was there.

"You're pretty good, ya know that?" the thief told Sora as he adjusted the thick headband holding back his red hair. "Not a lot of people notice when I try to pickpocket them."

A little confused, Sora cocked an eyebrow. "Um, thanks… I guess?" Now that he had a better look, this guy was one of the stranger-looking people he had ever met. His skin was patchwork, and his eyes were hidden just under the headband to the point that Sora couldn't see them. He almost looked like a rag doll.

"So, you got a name? I'm Blank," the thief said holding out a hand to shake.

Sora looked at Blank's hand with suspicion. Was he trying to steal from him again? Then he shook the idea out of his head and held out his own hand. "I'm Sora."

Blank gave a small smile that was more like a smirk. "Nice to meetcha," he answered. He then looked behind Sora. "Say, wasn't there somebody with you?"

"Kairi, you mean? Yeah, she…" Sora stopped himself when he suddenly realized that his friend wasn't there. "Aw, man!" he exclaimed, whacking his forehead against the wall.

"Hey relax, the guys and I can help ya look for her," Blank said as he put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"That'd be great, actually," Sora said as he rubbed his forehead. Inside, he was kicking himself for losing track of Kairi in the first place. He had brought her here to spend their vacation together, and already things were going wrong. He had secretly been planning to tell her his feelings about her, too… talk about lousy timing!

"Okay then, follow me," Blank said as he started to leave the ally.

Sora followed him down the street until they came to another alley, one that he recognized as Hayner's hangout. Hayner, Pence and Olette were chatting away until they saw Sora and Blank.

Hayner's eyes lit up. "Hey Sora, long time no see!" he greeted as he hopped off the box he was sitting on.

"How have you been?" Olette asked as she gave Sora a hug.

"Uh, h-hey Olette. I've been pretty good," Sora said nervously, his cheeks flushing from the unexpected contact. Olette sensed his nervousness and quickly backed off.

Pence walked over as well. "So how are things with you and Kairi?" he asked curiously.

"That's what we wanted to talk to you guys about," Blank interjected.

"Oh hey, Blank! I didn't see you for a sec," Hayner said as he punched Blank's arm. "We heard about the oglops. I wish I could've seen the look on Seifer's face!"

"Now now, that was Zidane's handiwork," Blank corrected. "Save your praises for him. Anyway, I believe you had something to tell them?"

"Uh, yeah," Sora nodded before turning back to the other three. "Kairi is somewhere in Twilight Town, and I need you guys to help me look for her."

Olette rolled her eyes. "Wow, you have a bad habit of losing her, huh?"

"Technically, it was my fault that he lost track of her," Blank admitted. "So are you guys gonna help him or not?"

"Of course we are," Hayner said with a nod. Pence and Olette nodded as well.

Sora smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"Hey, what're friends for, right?" Pence said with a grin.

Hayner immediately started giving orders on where to search for Kairi. After the group split up, Sora and Blank headed for train station.

"Hey, can I ask you a couple of questions?" Sora asked Blank.

"That depends. What are the questions?" Blank responded.

"Well, one: What's an oglop? And two: Who's Zidane?" he asked as he counted the questions off his fingers.

"One, an oglop is a big beige bug. I can't stand them," Blank answered with a shudder. "Two, Zidane's… a character, to say the least. You'll know him if you see him."

Sora decided to take Blank's word for it, and he continued to follow his new companion.

_Kairi, please be okay... _he silently prayed.


	3. A Quick Brawl

Kairi and Zidane had looked all over the town square, and there was still no sign of Sora. Before she knew it, Kairi was starting to feel a little hungry. "Hey Zidane, can we take a break?" she asked her companion. "I need to eat something."

"Sure, no problem," he answered as he jerked his thumb at a nearby bench. "Wait right here, I'll go get some ice cream." And with that, he began walking toward the ice cream stand nearby.

Kairi sat down on the bench and watched Zidane leave, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. Now that she had spent a little time with this boy, she started to think that he was strangely cute. Not that she was romantically interested in him of course; her heart already belonged to Sora.

Her train of thought came to a grinding halt when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. "Sor-?" she began to say until she realized that it was Seifer. And he wasn't alone; he had three others with him. One of them was a tall and muscular guy wearing an orange T-shirt with a lightning bolt. The second was a thin girl with lavender hair that covered one side of her face. Finally, the last one was a short boy whose face was shadowed and only two glowing yellow eyes could be seen from under his large pointy hat.

Kairi tried to break away, but Seifer grabbed her arm before she could. "Ah ah ah, not so fast," he said with a sneer. "You wouldn't happen to know where that friend of yours went, would you?"

In her nervousness, Kairi tried to play dumb. "Um, which friend?"

The lavender-haired girl turned to Seifer. "Wrong?" she asked.

Seifer shook his head. "No, I'm positive this is her. I recognize that hair anywhere," he said as his grip on her arm tightened.

Kairi winced. "That hurts! Let go!" she cried.

"Just tell us where Zidane went, and we'll let you go. It's that simple, ya know?" the musclehead piped up.

_They're still after Zidane!_ Kairi realized. She kicked Seifer in the shin, causing him to yell in pain and let go of her arm.

She then tried to run, only to hear Seifer shout, "Rai, grab her!" Rai obeyed Seifer's order without question and grabbed Kairi's arm before she could escape. There was probably no chance of getting away, so she did the only thing she could think of.

"SORA!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

…

"SORA!"

Sora stopped walking and turned when he heard the scream. There was no doubt in his mind; Kairi was calling him, and she was in trouble. Blank saw that his companion wasn't following anymore and he looked back at him. "Was that her?" he asked.

"Yeah, I know that scream anywhere," Sora said as his fists clenched. He then started running in the general direction of her voice. "C'mon, she could be in trouble!" he called back to Blank.

"I'm right behind ya," said Blank as he ran after the Keybearer.

_I hope I'm not too late!_ Sora thought, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

…

A second after she screamed, a fist connected with Rai's face and Kairi was released. Her assailant landed on his face, and a very angry Zidane was standing in front of her. "Seifer, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Zidane snarled.

Still rubbing his sore shin, Seifer looked up and smirked. "Heh heh, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist that," he said with a smug tone. "You just can't stand seeing a girl in trouble, can you?"

"Look, I understand that you wanna get back at me for the oglops, but that was going too far!" Zidane shouted. He was about to charge Seifer when the lavender-haired girl stood in his way. "Aw man, do I have to fight you, Fuu?" he asked sincerely. "I really don't wanna hurt a girl."

Fuu paid no heed and threw a punch at Zidane's chest, which he narrowly dodged. "Whoa! Trying to break my heart already?" he asked with a teasing smile. "And here I thought we were getting along so well!"

"Takedown!" Fuu yelled as she ran forward launched a flying kick. Zidane rolled out of the way, and she ended up crashing into Rai, who was just getting up.

Kairi and Zidane both winced as the two opponents hit the ground. "Ooh, Rai's gonna have a headache when he wakes up," he muttered. Suddenly, Zidane was grabbed from behind by Seifer, who pinned his arms to his sides. Zidane struggled to get loose, but he was held firm by the angry teen.

"You let your guard down, loser!" Seifer whispered threateningly. "Now you'll know the meaning of pain." He turned to the short one and shouted, "Vivi, now!"

Vivi, his legs a little shaky, picked up his struggle bat and ran forward. He looked like he was about to hit Zidane, but as he was swinging the bat, he suddenly tripped and hit Seifer in the same place Kairi kicked him. His grip loosened, and Zidane took this opportunity to throw Seifer over his shoulder. Seifer landed flat on his back, unable to fight.

"I'd say this is our cue to exit," Zidane said as he quickly tried to pick up Kairi again. However, his hand slipped and he touched her butt by accident. "Ooh, soft," he muttered. Kairi blushed furiously, and she hit Zidane on the head. "Ouch!" he cried out.

"I'll go on foot, thank you!" Kairi huffed as she ran out of the town square with Zidane right behind her.

Vivi just sat there, staring at the monkey-tailed boy as he took off down the road. Very few people had been able to best Seifer in combat, and Zidane was one of them. Vivi started to wonder if maybe he found a new idol in that strange boy…

…

Sora and Blank rushed into the town square a few minutes later. The members of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee were scattered on the ground with the exception of Vivi, and Kairi was nowhere to be seen.

"What… happened here?" Sora asked no one in particular, a look of confusion spread across his face.


	4. A Little Rest

**Hey guys! I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Daisuke Haoru, DestinyCrusader, Students of the Arts, and everyone else who has read and reviewed my story. Thank you very much! **

**But enough of my babbling. Here's chapter 4. Enjoy!**

Sora and Blank walked over to Seifer, who was still on the ground. Blank leaned over and looked directly at the Disciplinary Committee's leader. "Yo, are you still alive?" he asked.

Seifer blinked a few times before he responded. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Just wanna know what happened, and if it involved a girl named Kairi," Sora answered. All he knew was that he heard Kairi's scream coming from the town square, and if Seifer had done anything to hurt her, he was going to be in serious pain in a few minutes.

"Kairi?" Seifer arched an eyebrow. Who the heck was Kairi? Then it dawned on him that he never did hear that red-headed girl's name, though she obviously knew Sora. "If you're talking about a girl with dark red hair, I just ran into her here."

"Really?" Suddenly, Sora was listening intently to everything Seifer had to say. "What happened then?"

After he managed to sit up, Seifer continued to explain what happened. Sora did get a little mad when he heard the part about Kairi's "interrogation," but Seifer managed to assure him that she wasn't hurt, and that calmed him down a little. As Seifer explained the fight, he made little to no eye contact with Sora and Blank in order to try to hide his embarrassment.

Once he was done, Blank just shook his head. "It's your own fault for trying to get even with Zidane."

"I know, I know! You don't have to remind me," Seifer snapped.

"So after the fight, where did Zidane and Kairi go then?" Sora inquired.

"I wouldn't know, I was seeing stars at that point," Seifer muttered.

"Um, I could tell you," a quiet voice piped up. All three boys turned toward Vivi, who was nervously straightening his hat.

Sora walked over, then got down to Vivi's eye level. "Okay, which way did they go?"

"They went down that road," Vivi answered, pointing down the street behind him.

Sora smiled and patted the boy's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome," Vivi muttered shyly.

"Well, you heard the kid. Let's go get your girl," Blank said as he took off down the road.

"S-She's not my girl!" Sora stuttered indignantly. "Well, not yet anyway…"

Blank just smirked as the Keybearer ran to catch up with him.

Only one thought was going through Sora's mind at this point. _C'mon Kairi, please don't let me miss you again!_

…

After running for several minutes, Kairi and Zidane stopped on the side of the street to catch their breath.

Kairi sat down on the nearest bench. "Phew, I'm beat," she panted.

"Yeah, me too," Zidane agreed, wiping the sweat of his brow. Then without warning, he collapsed on the bench, his head landing right in Kairi's lap.

Once again, Kairi's face turned red. It was bad enough when he "accidentally" touched her butt back at the square! "H-Hey, get off!"

"Tired," Zidane mumbled, his eyes already closed.

Kairi sighed. "Fine, but just for a few minutes. I guess we both need a little rest, anyway."

Zidane smiled before apparently dozing off. Kairi looked at the boy lying on her lap, and she was beginning to understand why she had accepted his offer to help look for Sora. Zidane had gotten her out of trouble when no one else could. Okay, so maybe he was a flirt and a troublemaker like Elmina said, but he certainly wasn't a bad guy. She felt like she could trust him with her life like she would trust Sora and Riku.

A few minutes later, Zidane woke up and asked, "So, this Sora… he's the guy you're looking for, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," Kairi said with a nod.

"You called his name when you were in trouble," Zidane commented. "Just how close are you two?"

Kairi took a deep breath before answering. "Well, he's my childhood friend. He's kind, gentle, funny, brave, and… he saved my life. More than once. He even became a Heartless for me. He's very important to me, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. If he goes somewhere I can't follow, I always give him my lucky charm… as a reminder to come home safely."

Zidane sat up and straightened himself on the bench. "So, you _are_ in love with him?"

"Well, I… yes," Kairi answered quietly.

"Have you told him?"

"Not yet."

"So, why don't you practice on me?" Zidane suggested.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kairi asked in a confused tone.

"I mean, why don't you practice your confession?" he explained. "I'll be Sora, and you'll tell me your true feelings. Simple enough, right?"

Kairi hesitated. _This shouldn't be too tough, just imagine Sora's there instead of Zidane,_ she thought. "O-Okay, I'll do it."

"Alright then," Zidane said as he and Kairi stood up. "Let me know when you're ready."

Kairi took a few deep breaths and then she turned back toward Zidane. "I'm ready… I think," she said.

Zidane had his back to her for a second, but then he turned around and started talking. "Hey Kairi, how's it goin'?" he asked as he flashed a goofy grin.

Kairi almost laughed. It was almost too perfect! Zidane hadn't even met Sora, and yet the smile was extremely similar. All he had was her description of Sora's personality. She silently wondered of Zidane had any acting experience.

She took another deep breath in order to focus, and then greeted Zidane. "Oh, hey Sora. I'm doing just fine. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Zidane tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, really! I just need to tell you something… like, right now."

"What is it?" Zidane asked, drawing closer and placing a hand on Kairi's shoulder. He could feel her trembling.

"Well, the truth is… I-I probably should've told you this a long time ago," she said, her cheeks flushing despite it just being an act.

"Tell me what?" Zidane whispered, his face now inches away from Kairi's.

"Um, I…" Kairi opened her mouth, but with Zidane so close to her, it was hard to get the words out. "I l-lo…"

"Kairi?"

Kairi whirled around only to see a very bewildered…

"Sora!"


	5. A Fight for Kairi

**Yay, chapter 5 is up! Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed. Your opinions are what keep me going! Enjoy!**

Kairi rushed over to Sora and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're okay!" she cried. Sora, still a little confused, hugged her back.

Behind her, Zidane had still been leaning forward to kiss Kairi, but her sudden movement made him lean over too far and fall flat on his face. Blank walked over and yanked him onto his feet. "Sheez, I shoulda known you'd try something," he said to him.

Zidane, rubbing his nose, glared at his friend. "Aw shut up, it wasn't what it looked like."

Sora heard that and pulled away from Kairi. "Come to think of it, I believe you owe me an explanation."

"Um…" _Uh oh, think fast Kairi, _she thought. There was absolutely no way she could tell him that Zidane was helping her practice confessing to Sora! On the other hand, she hadn't expected Zidane to try to kiss her, so maybe she could talk her way around that.

"I can explain," Zidane said, stepping forward. "You're Sora, then? I'm Zidane. I've been helping Kairi look all over Twilight Town for you, since she didn't know her way around. We did run into a little trouble along the way, but as you can see, I got her out of it unharmed. And, uh…." He paused, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I guess I've grown kinda fond of her. That's why I tried to kiss her."

"Zidane…" Kairi couldn't believe it. This boy managed to explain the whole situation, and he was smoothly able to avoid bringing up the fake confession. She guessed that this wasn't the first time he'd had to talk his way out of trouble. But what really got her was that he was apparently crushing on her!

Sora looked at Zidane with a serious expression. "Well if that's true, then thanks for getting her out of trouble. But if you think I'm gonna let you get away with trying to kiss her, you've got another think coming!"

"I figured as much. You two really are close," Zidane muttered as he drew twin daggers. "This should be fun!"

_Oh boy, here we go,_ Blank thought as he retreated to the sidelines. Zidane only pulled out the daggers against serious opponents. Apparently, he wasn't taking any chances with Sora.

In response, the Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand. "Kairi, stand back. I don't want you to get hurt."

"O-Okay," Kairi nodded as she moved over to where Blank was. She silently wondered why boys always had to settle things with a fight.

Sora rushed at Zidane, ready to strike with the Keyblade. But before he could even get a hit in, Zidane zipped right behind Sora faster than he could blink. "Too slow!" he exclaimed as he sent Sora flying into the air with an uppercut. Sora didn't even have time to react as several orbs of energy were shot at him, exploding on contact. He hit the wall behind him before falling to the ground, the wind knocked right out of him.

_This guy's fast!_ Sora thought as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up only to see Zidane racing toward him. "Fire!" Sora shouted as he shot a fireball at his opponent. Zidane managed to avoid the fireball, but it gave Sora a chance to move in. He hit the monkey-tailed boy three times, but his fourth strike was blocked as Zidane crossed his daggers in front of him, effectively catching the Keyblade.

Stuck in a block, Zidane took this opportunity to talk to Sora. "Let me ask you something: How important is Kairi to you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Sora asked, getting more irritated by the second. "She's my friend! We grew up together, and we've gone through so much. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost her!"

"Just a friend, huh?" Zidane asked cocking an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

Sora grimaced. It was true that his feelings for Kairi extended beyond friendship, but he wasn't about to say that to this guy!

His lapse of concentration gave Zidane a chance to counterattack. He leapt away from Sora and combined his daggers into a thief sword. Twirling the weapon in front of him, he shot himself at Sora. The Keybearer was ready this time, creating a barrier between him and Zidane, rendering the boy's attack ineffective. The boy stumbled backward, thrown off by the barrier, but he managed to regain his balance. Once the barrier was down, Zidane separated his thief sword back to the daggers and he sent Sora flying once again. "I've gotcha now!" he shouted as two spears of light pierced through Sora, causing him to cry out in pain.

"H-Heal!" Sora cried out as he just barely landed on his feet and healed his injuries. _What do I do? This guy's pretty serious!_ Sora thought to himself. _C'mon Sora, think! _He then noticed something about Zidane's fighting style: he seemed to excel in aerial combat. If Sora could somehow force him onto the ground, he would have an advantage. Magic seemed to work best in that regard, so as Zidane shot himself toward the Keybearer once again, Sora prepared himself. "Fire! Freeze! Thunder!" he shouted, sending out a barrage of spells. In midair, Zidane couldn't dodge, and he was hit with all three spells, dropping one of his daggers at the same time. "It's over!" Sora shouted as he grabbed the dagger and rushed at the dazed boy. Only a line of light could be seen as Sora struck Zidane with both the dagger and the Keyblade.

"What…? This can't be…!" Zidane exclaimed just before he hit the ground.

Sora walked over and pointed the Keyblade at his defeated opponent. "Do you give up?"

Zidane sat up and looked at Sora with a smile. "Looks like I lost," he said shrugging his shoulders. He then stood up and held out his hand to shake. "That was a good fight."

Sora smiled back as the Keyblade disappeared, and he took Zidane's hand in a firm handshake. "Thanks."

"Well, guess I better get going. I don't wanna intrude on your time together," Zidane said, looking over at Kairi. As he walked past Sora, he whispered something. "You're a lucky guy, Sora. Don't let her get away."

"Wait, what?" Sora asked as he turned around, but Zidane just continued walking as if he didn't hear him.

Blank pushed himself off the wall and walked over to join his friend. "Yeah, I gotta go too," he said. "So long, Sora."

"See ya later, Blank," Sora replied.

Kairi stepped forward and called out to her new friend. "Zidane! Thank you… for everything!"

Zidane stopped and turned around. "Anything for a lady!" he said with a grin. "I'll see ya when I see ya!" And with that, Zidane and Blank disappeared down the street.

**It's not over yet! There's still at least one more chapter. Please look forward to it! And for the record, the attacks Zidane uses are Free Energy, Grand Lethal, and Meo Twister, just in case anyone was curious.**

**I probably should've said this in previous chapters, so I'll say it right here: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Zidane or Blank (sadly).**


	6. A Happy Ending

**Once again, I wish to thank everyone who read and reviewed LiTT! You guys kept me going until the end! Thank you very, very much! **

**This is the final chapter. Enjoy!**

"Sora, where are we going?" Kairi asked. Sora had told her to close her eyes and he was leading her by the hand.

"You'll see in just a sec," he answered back. "Watch your step."

Kairi was going to ask what he meant when she suddenly realized that they were going up a staircase. Once they reached the top, she could feel a gentle breeze hitting her.

"Okay, open your eyes," Sora said.

Kairi opened her eyes and saw that she and Sora were above Twilight Town. Directly in front of them was the beautiful sunset the town was famous for. "Wow, it's gorgeous!" Kairi exclaimed, her eyes wide with fascination.

"Someone told me the clock tower was the perfect place to watch the sunset," Sora explained. "Glad I took his word for it!"

Kairi smiled and continued to gaze out at the lovely sight. "Thank you, Sora. It's really beautiful."

Sora's attention had strayed from the sunset and was now focusing on his childhood friend. Her dark red hair was blowing in the breeze and she was bathed in the glow of the sun. "Just like you," he muttered, not realizing Kairi had heard him until she turned toward him.

"Hmm? What were you saying?" she asked.

"N-Nothing!" Sora quickly blurted out, his face red up to his ears. _Sora, you idiot! This is the perfect opportunity to tell her!_ he thought.

_This is the perfect opportunity to tell him,_ Kairi thought to herself. The two of them were alone and moments like this were rare. _Just go for it! It's like Zidane said: it's supposed to be simple, right?_ She looked at Sora and wondered if she should tell him the truth, that Zidane was helping her practice her confession. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I have to tell you something!" they both said at the same time. They then stared at each other for a few seconds before either of them said anything.

"Um, you go first Sora."

"No no, you go first Kairi."

Kairi found herself trembling once again. Now that she was about to confess, she suddenly realized how nervous she really was. She then remembered what she had done when she practiced with Zidane: she took a deep breath before she started talking. "Um, you know when you found me with Zidane?"

"Yeah…" Sora answered, tilting his head. What was she getting at?

"Well, he was actually helping me practice something… something very important," she continued. She could feel her face heating up and her heart beat faster as she spoke. "Something I really should've done a long time ago."

"What is it?" Sora asked as he unexpectedly moved closer to her.

Kairi looked at the boy she was about to confess her feelings to. The sun shone brilliantly on his face and hair, and she found herself gazing at the boy who risked his life for hers. There was no turning back now.

"Sora, I love you."

Sora released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The three words he wanted so badly to say had just been said to him by the girl he loved. He reached out and gently cupped Kairi's cheek in his hand.

"I… I love you too, Kairi," he replied before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

Kairi was startled at first, but after a second she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as his other hand went around her waist. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect moment. After a day of craziness and confusion, this first kiss before the setting sun made it all worthwhile.

When they pulled away, Sora noticed the tears trailing down Kairi's cheeks. "Are you okay?" he asked as he wiped the tears away with his thumb.

Kairi nodded. "I'm just… I've never been so happy in my whole life."

"Same here," Sora said with a soft smile. "I love you so much," he whispered before kissing her again. It was then that he firmly decided to take Zidane's advice: he would never let Kairi go for as long as he lived.

…

Zidane sat on the rooftop and watched the setting sun. He smiled at the thought of Kairi being with the boy she loved, but at the same time, he knew he was going to miss her.

He turned when he heard footsteps behind him. "Still thinkin' about her?" Blank asked as he sat down next to his friend.

"Yeah," Zidane answered, turning back to the sunset.

Blank just sighed. "You had to let her go, Zidane."

"I know," Zidane replied. "She's with the person she loves, and that's all that matters." He then looked at his friend with a smile. "But there are plenty of other ladies out there, so don't worry about me, okay?"

"Who said I was worried?" Blank retorted. Honestly, Zidane was always so upbeat, it made him wonder why he even bothered worrying about that monkey-tailed idiot.

Zidane just grinned in response. His expression then softened as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "Of course, it'll probably be a while before I find someone as special as Kairi."

Suddenly, Zidane heard someone singing. Whoever it was had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. He suddenly found himself standing up and running toward the edge of the roof.

"What the-? Where are ya goin'?" Blank called after him, but Zidane was already on the next rooftop.

He kept leaping from rooftop to rooftop, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, he stopped and what he saw, standing on a small balcony surrounded by white birds, was a girl about his age. She had long, dark brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail and she had soft brown eyes and fair skin. Zidane found himself staring at this beautiful girl and listening as she continued to sing.

_Okay, so I was wrong,_ he thought with a smile. _No complaints here!_ And on that note, he slid down the roof and landed on the balcony of the house next to the girl's. He walked over to the edge and leaned on the railing, hoping to catch her attention.

The girl finished her song and, apparently sensing Zidane's presence, turned in his direction. At the same time, the birds all flew away towards the setting sun.

"Oh sorry, did I startle you?" Zidane asked.

"No, not at all," the girl responded. "I'm just not used to people listening to me sing."

"Is that so?" Zidane muttered as he continued to stare at her.

"Um, why are you staring at me like that?" the girl asked nervously. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Oh, no. You see…" he started to say before he leapt onto the girl's balcony, landing right in front of her. "I just thought maybe you were the one I'd been looking for all this time."

"You were looking for me?" the girl asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah! I've dreamt of meeting you here ever since I was born!" he answered enthusiastically.

The girl tilted her head. "Are you mocking me?"

Zidane let out a short laugh before answering. "No, of course not."

The girl smiled and giggled at Zidane's attempts to flirt with her. "You flatter me, um…"

"Zidane," he finished. "My name's Zidane. What's your name, lovely?"

"I'm Garnet."

_Fin_

**Yep, even Zidane had a happy ending. Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**And no, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy IX (sadly).**

**Until next time! ^^**


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